Electrophotography is a process whereby the light image of an original representation to be copied is usually recorded in the form of a latent electrostatic image upon a photosensitive member of a printing device. The latent electrostatic image is subsequently rendered visible by application of electroscopic marking particles, known in the art as toner. The visible toner image can be either fixed directly on the photosensitive member or transferred from the photosensitive member to another support, such as a sheet of paper, with a subsequent fixing of the image thereto.
The toner is a thermoplastic resin compound and is contained in a cartridge in such printing devices as laser printers and photocopiers. The cartridge is a replaceable supply item for these printing devices. The toner is held in a reservoir in the cartridge and then transferred onto a developer roll in the printing device. The toner is then transferred onto a photoconductor in a pattern corresponding to the image to be printed. This procedure is based on a charge distribution created on the photoconductor surface.
A common problem associated with printing devices is the leakage of toner resin from the toner cartridge and/or the developer roll. Certain printing devices have multiple toner cartridges, thus multiplying the opportunity for toner resin leakage. Over time, the components of the printing device, particularly the paper-feed assembly within the device, can accumulate a significant amount of toner resin. This leads to poor print image quality, as well as the soiling of a user's hands and clothes and contamination of the environment around the printing device.
Accordingly, there has been an on-going need to find ways to clean the accumulated toner resin leaked to the components of the printing device. Several cleaning systems have been designed in an attempt to provide a solution to the identified need. However, the procedures used to date are, in general, costly, require a maintenance call, which can be frustrating due to inherent delays, and/or fail to remove a sufficient amount of toner resin to be successfully efficient.